Bourke emerged as a potential star of the future while playing for his home club, Kolora-Noorat, which is located in western Victoria's dairy farming heartland.

In 2011, at the age of 16, he was second-best on ground when Kolora-Noorat defeated Old Collegians in the Warrambool and District league senior Grand Final.

Not only did Bourke's performance win him an invitation to play with the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup, it also saw him elevated to the prestigious AFL-AIS Academy. At that time, he was considered one of the standout prospects in the nation.

Bourke lived up to the lofty expectations in 2012. He played 17 games for the Falcons, impressing recruiting scouts with his decision-making, running ability and skill.

But his progress hit a snag earlier in March when he suffered a shoulder injury while playing for an AFL-AIS representative team against Collingwood's VFL side.

"I missed eight or nine weeks all up at the start of the season, so I lost a lot of fitness," he told AFL.com.au.

Although Bourke was back on the field by May, the shoulder problem continued to trouble him, both physically and mentally.

"Getting back and getting confidence in myself and my body again was a bit of a struggle for the rest of the year," he admitted.

'Tomahawk' cuts fine figure upon return

Despite the shoulder issue, Bourke was still selected in the Victoria Country team that played in the national under-18 championships. He showed flashes of his best form during the competition, but was unable to make much of an impact.

Even when he returned to the TAC Cup, his performances with the Falcons were patchy. And by the time the season had come to an end, Bourke knew he had fallen down the pecking order.

"Looking back, it wasn't the best year, but you can't blame it all on injuries," he said. "I think I just didn't play the best footy that I'd hoped for, and the injury probably didn't help."

Still, Bourke had high hopes that he would be selected in the NAB AFL Draft, held on the Gold Coast on November 22.

Three of his Falcons teammates were picked, with Darcy Lang joining Geelong and Darcy Gardiner and Lewis Taylor selected by the Brisbane Lions. But Bourke was ignored.

"Yeah, you're disappointed at the time, but you look at the AFL now and there's plenty of different ways to get in," he said.

"You're disappointed for a day or so, but then you get your head back up and look towards the rookie draft, which I did."

Bourke's positivity paid off when the Cats called out his name in the second round of the rookie draft.

"It was a bit of a surprise," the affable 18-year-old acknowledged. "Going into the rookie draft you never know what's going to happen. But it was a very exciting moment and I'm very happy with it.

"Geelong had only shown the same amount of interest as most of the other clubs – a few interviews here and there – but I was lucky enough that they picked me up. I'm very honoured and humbled by the opportunity I've been given.

"There's a few Falcons boys there already, so it kind of makes the transition a bit easier. It's not far from home as well, which makes it all the better. So it's very good."

The Cats' recruiting manager, Stephen Wells, has already made it clear where he believes Bourke needs to improve if he's to forge a long career at the club.

"Nick realises he’s got to get more to his game than just being an outsider, but he did hurt his shoulder … so we will give him a little bit of leeway there for a while," Wells told Radio Sport National last week.

Having already experienced plenty of ups and downs, Bourke is heading into the pre-season confident he has what it takes to make an impact in the VFL and eventually earn himself a spot on Geelong's senior list.

"I know the football I can play," he said. "So I'm looking forward to the next couple of years."